France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel after British demands
French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.
This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.
French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.
French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and individuals.
"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."
Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.
Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.
The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.
That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.
Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.
Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.
The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.
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